Following my wife’s passing, it was just me and my daughter, Tessa. She was still very young to understand that her mom won’t return ever again. And then, a year later, someone new entered my life. And I though everything was perfect again, until my daughter mentioned the attic in my wife’s home.
Laura seemed to love my daughter. It felt like they have known each other since forever. The first they they met at the park, they played with the leaves, and Tessa came to me and said, “Dad, your friend Laura is really nice.” Her words put my heart at ease.
It wasn’t long before Laura and I tied the knot and we moved to her Victorian home that she had inherited from her grandparents.
The place was very spacious. As Tessa moved from one room to another, she kept saying that she loved it there.
Life felt complete again, until Tessa started feeling uneasy around my new wife.
A couple of months into my marriage to Laura, I needed to take a business trip out of town. I knew Tessa would be just fine, although I have never left her with anyone else more than a day.
Finally, when I returned home after a week, Tessa ran towards me, hugged me tightly, placed her head on my shoulder, and said, “Dad, new mom is different when you’re gone.”
As she said that, tears started rolling down her face.
“What do you mean she’s different, honey?” I asked, confused.
“She was spending time at the attic, and she wouldn’t let me go there. She keeps it locked and strange noises come from above.”
“Oh, is that so?” I asked, trying to comfort her. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her and ask her about it, but I’m sure there is a reason you can’t go there, Tessa.”
She looked me in the eyes and said, “And she’s strict. She won’t let me play with my toys if they are on the floor, and makes me clean the room all by myself.”
I was a bit shocked. Tessa was just six years old, still just a child. On top of that, Laura never showed that strict side of hers until then.
As Tessa and I talked, Laura came out of the attic.
“Honey, you’re home,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“Laura, how was Tessa while I was gone?” I asked her, not wanting to confront her about my daughter’s words right away.
“Well, she was great. She whined at times, but she’s a good girl,” Laura said.
“You know, she told me you were a bit strict to her. She also mentioned the attic and the noises coming from there.”
However, Laura assured me that some rules of keeping her room clean and keeping track of where she puts her toys wouldn’t harm Tessa. And about the attic, she claimed it was a dusty place full of unnecessary things. There could be rats there as well, so she didn’t want Tessa to hurt herself in the mess.
I decided to trust her, although I didn’t forget about it altogether.
Days passed by, and Tessa started complaining about the noises coming from the attic. And then, one night, as I get to the kitchen to get some water, I noticed light coming from the attic.
“What is Laura doing there at this time of the night?” I thought to myself.
The next day, I decided to get inside. I simply needed to know what was going on. And the sight left me speechless.
The attic was a bright and inviting space, far from the scene of terror Laura described it to be. What’s most, it resembled like a nursery. The walls were bright, and there was an unfinished mural of playful animals on the wall. Toddler clothes, stuffed animals, and baby furniture was all over the place.
As I was looking around in complete awe, Laura entered the attic. “Andrew, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“Laura, I need an explanation,” I said. “The attic isn’t dusty, nor a storage, it’s obviously a nursery.”
It was then that Laura started crying. “Andrew, I wanted to turn it into a safe space for Tessa. I was getting rid of the baby stuff little by little, turning it into a room for a girl Tessa’s age.”
She then told me that the room was decorated as it was for the daughter Laura lost at birth. “You lost a daughter?” I asked, shocked at the revelation.
Laura explained that it was her own fears that made her be strict with Tessa, not knowing that she was scaring her.
“I was scared and worried you’d think I was trying to make Tessa replace the baby I lost if I told you about the attic. I also feared Tessa might reject me if I tried something so personal. While you were away, I worked on it quietly, hoping to surprise you with something wonderful,” Laura said.
She assured me she loved Tessa and cared deeply about her, she just didn’t know how to be a mother.
I said she should start by showing Tessa the attic.
When Tessa saw it, she was stunned and loved it very much.
The relationship between my wife and my daughter blossomed. Tessa never felt scared around Laura again.
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Bored Daddy
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